Pelé’s coffin arrived at his remaining resting place Tuesday as thousands and thousands of followers in Brazil and around the globe mourned the sports activities legend.
Newly inaugurated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva paid his respects at Vila Belmiro, the stadium the place Pelé performed for many of his profession.
Pelé was being buried within the metropolis the place he grew up, turned well-known, and helped make into a worldwide capital of his sport. Mass was held on the Vila Belmiro stadium earlier than the black casket was pushed by means of the streets of Santos in a firetruck.
It was taken into the cemetery as bands performed the Santos staff’s official music and a Catholic hymn. Earlier than the casket arrived, attendees sang samba songs that Pelé had favored.
Amongst with legends of Pelé’s sport, a notable absentee was Jair Bolsonaro, whose time period as president ended Dec. 31. A day earlier than, he departed the capital Brasilia on a flight to Florida, shirking the ceremonial obligation of passing the presidential sash to Lula. Bolsonaro is staying in a condominium advanced exterior Orlando and has been filmed talking to neighbours.
Geovana Sarmento, 17, waited within the three-hour line to view his physique because it lay in repose. She got here along with her father, who was sporting a Brazil shirt with Pelé’s identify.
“I’m not a Santos fan, neither is my father. However this man invented Brazil’s nationwide staff. He made Santos stronger, he made it huge, how may you not respect him? He is among the biggest individuals ever, we wanted to honour him,” she mentioned.
Caio Zalke, 35, an engineer, wore a Brazil shirt as he waited in line. “Pelé is crucial Brazilian of all time. He made the game vital for Brazil and he made Brazil vital for the world,” he mentioned.
Within the Nineteen Sixties and 70s, Pelé was maybe the world’s most well-known athlete. He met presidents and queens, and in Nigeria a civil struggle was placed on maintain to observe him play. Many Brazilians credit score him with placing the nation on the world stage for the primary time.
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Rows of shirts with Pelé’s quantity 10 have been positioned behind one of many objectives, waving within the metropolis’s summer season winds. A piece of the stands was filling up with bouquets of flowers positioned by mourners and despatched by golf equipment and star gamers — Neymar and Ronaldo amongst them — from around the globe as loudspeakers performed a music named “Eu sou Pelé” (“I’m Pelé”) that was recorded by the Brazilian himself.
The gang was largely native, though some got here from far-off. Many mourners have been too younger ever to have seen Pelé play. The temper was gentle, as individuals filtered out of the stadium to native bars, sporting Santos FC and Brazil shirts.
Claudio Carrança, 32, a salesman, mentioned: “I by no means noticed him play, however loving Pelé is a convention that goes from father to son in Santos. I realized his historical past, noticed his objectives, and I see how Santos FC is vital as a result of he’s vital. I do know some Santos followers have youngsters supporting different groups. However that’s simply because they by no means noticed Pelé in motion. If they’d, they might really feel this gratitude I really feel now.”
Amongst these on the stadium was Pelé’s greatest good friend Manoel Maria, additionally a former Santos participant.
“If I had all of the wealth on the planet I might by no means be capable to repay what this man did for me and my household,” Maria mentioned. “He was as nice a person as he was as a participant; the perfect of all time. His legacy will outlive us all. And that may be seen on this lengthy line with individuals of all ages right here.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino advised journalists that each nation ought to identify a stadium after Pelé.
“I’m right here with loads of emotion, and unhappiness, but in addition with a smile as a result of he gave us so many smiles,” Infantino mentioned. “As FIFA, we can pay a tribute to the ‘King’ and we ask the entire world to look at a minute of silence.”
One other fan and good friend in line was Brazilian Supreme Court docket, Justice Gilmar Mendes.
“It’s a very unhappy second, however we at the moment are seeing the actual which means of this legendary participant to our nation,” Mendes advised journalists. “My workplace has shirts signed by Pelé, an image of him as a goalkeeper, additionally signed by him. DVDs, pictures, a giant assortment of him.”
Pelé had undergone remedy for colon most cancers since 2021. The medical heart the place he had been hospitalized mentioned he died of a number of organ failure on account of the most cancers.
Pelé led Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and stays one of many staff’s all-time main scorers with 77 objectives. Neymar tied Pelé’s document throughout this yr’s World Cup in Qatar.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed)